On 14 January, the international human rights watchdog released its annual review of human rights issues in the countries around the globe. 

Armenia

The report highlighted the issues of the 44-day long Nagorno-Karabakh war, the Covid-19 pandemic, abuse by law enforcement agencies, environmental issues, violence against women and children, rights of people with disabilities, and the rights of the LGBT community in the country. In regard to the first issue, the report emphasised that during the war, Armenian forces carried out indiscriminate attacks, launching unguided artillery rockets, and firing heavy artillery shells and ballistic missiles on population centers, including in some places where there were no evident military targets, causing civilian deaths and injuries. The Armenian military also used banned cluster munitions in populated areas, resulting in dozens of civilian casualties.

Human rights violations were also reported in relation to the government measures during the Covid-19 pandemic. The report stressed that in March, the country’s parliament passed amendments requiring telecommunications companies to provide authorities with phone records for all of their customers in order to facilitate tracking of people exposed to the virus. For months, authorities refused to reveal information on the group of people in charge of the tracking system, saying that it was developed by volunteer programmers, free of charge; their names were eventually revealed without information about their affiliations. It was also highlighted that 4,000 children in the country were negatively impacted by school closures.

In regard to the other above mentioned issues, the report said that the government approved a strategy and action plan for police reform for 2020-2022, but that the investigations into past abuses by law enforcement agencies remained incomplete. On the environmental front, Armenia's 2020 was characterszed by protests against plans to restart construction on the Amulsar gold mine. 

In terms of domestic violence, it was highlighted that during the first half of 2020, authorities investigated 395 criminal domestic violence cases and brought charges against 196 people and sent 62 cases to courts. However, during the Covid-19 measures the government did not take targeted measures to ensure victims of domestic violence could access shelters. 

When it comes to the rights of people with disabilities, the government approved the 2020-2023 Comprehensive Program and Action Plan on Fulfillment of the Right to Live in a Family and Harmonious Development of the Child. The program features an alternative care service network, including specialised services for children with disabilities. However, due to strict lockdown measures, community support service centers were closed, cutting children with disabilities off from such services as rehabilitation and therapy. The services restored partially as the authorities eased lockdown rules. According to authorities, the state largely continued to provide social services and food assistance to children and people with disabilities throughout the lockdown.

The LGBT community in Armenia continued to face harassment, discrimination, and violence acording to the report. In total, 12 incidents of physical attacks based on sexual orientation or gender identity were reported in the country. The police dismissed five of the twelve attack reports filed by victims, claiming absence of a crime, and suspended three cases, due to reconciliation of the parties.

Azerbaijan

The key human rights issues in Azerbaijan were: the Nagorno-Karabakh war, the Covid-19 pandemic, freedom of media and expression, the prosecution of political opposition, freedom of assembly and torture and ill-treatment in custody. 

In regard to the first issue, the report emphasised that Azerbaijani forces launched large air-dropped munitions and fired rockets that lacked the capacity to be targeted with precision, into populated areas. Attacks on dual purpose infrastructure such as power stations may have caused excessive harm to the civilian population and in addition to striking military targets, some attacks damaged schools, private residences and businesses, and hospitals, and interrupted regular supply of services such as power, gas, and water to civilians. Azerbaijan’s military also used banned cluster munitions in populated areas, resulting in civilian casualties.

In relation to other issues, the report talked about the speech given by the country’s President Ilham Aliyev at the start of the pandemic, where he implied that he would use measures introduced to slow the spread of the coronavirus to crack down on political opponents, whom he described as traitors, enemies, and a fifth column. The report highlighted various arrests of opposition politicians, journalists and bloggers who were critical towards the country’s government and reports of their ill-treatment while they were in custody. However, positive developments were also recorded, in particular the releases of investigative journalist Afgan Mukhtarli and blogger Fuad Ahmadli. 

Georgia

Georgia’s key human rights concerns were: the parliamentary elections, the Covid-19 pandemic, abuses by law enforcement agencies, freedom of media, labour rights, LGBT rights and drug policy. 

The report stressed that the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party maintained a parliamentary majority amid allegations of fraud, prompting the opposition to boycott the new parliament. It added that the pandemic had a devastating impact on the country’s economy, which shrunk by over 16% in the second quarter, resulting in a spike in unemployment and poverty. To mitigate the fallout, the government enacted a $1.5 billion anti-crisis plan in April, including a social assistance package for individuals, and tax relief and exemptions for businesses for at least six months. Three months before the October elections, the government announced additional anti-crisis measures of $132 million, including a further social assistance package. Opposition and some civil society groups saw the steps as “manipulation to attract voters.”

In terms of the accountability of the law enforcement agencies, Human Rights Watch highlighted the issue still persists in the country, particularly with regard to incidents that took place before the State Inspector’s Office became operational in November 2019. The report emphasised that the investigation into the June 2019 protests, when riot police fired rubber bullets and used tear gas against thousands of protesters outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, continued to be largely one-sided.

In terms of Georgian media landscape, the report noted the case where dozens of employees' of Batumi-based publicly funded broadcaster Adjara TV held a silent protest against the new management’s alleged interference with the broadcaster’s editorial policy. It also highlighted the case where the country’s State Security Service initiated an investigation into an alleged act of sabotage in connection with a story aired by the pro-opposition Mtavari Arkhi, which alleged that local officials had falsified Covid-19 data and were engaged in other misconduct.

Workplace safety and decent labor conditions also remained a persistent problem in the country. According to the Georgian Trade Union Confederation, 22 workers died and 110 were injured in work-related accidents through September 2020. The issue of the Georgian authorities continuing to refuse to allow transgender people to obtain legal gender recognition, without sex-altering surgery was also highlighted, adding that in April a protest of the transgender community took place asking for the government’s assistance, as they lost their income and means to cover their rent.